Sunday, December 30, 2007

Puerto Rico: Coffee fields between Maricao and Yauco, 2007

In Puerto Rico, there are plenty of coffee fields in the cooler highlands. When I was driving the route, the temperature in Mayaguez, on the west coast of the island, was 95 degrees, and in the hills went down to 77. This picture was taken while I was on the road between Maricao, considered one of the principal coffee towns of Puerto Rico and home to a coffee festival in February, and Yauco, which is closer to the south coast slightly west of Ponce.

In the picture the coffee plants are the dark green patches, with the bananas and plantains in light green (bananas and plantains are often planted in the coffee fields).

Puerto Rican coffee is strong; it reminds me of espresso. It's widely available in stores in the Latino neighborhoods of Philadelphia, which has the third-largest Puerto Rican population of any city on the US mainland.


See my webpage on Puerto Rico at http://www.latinandcaribbeantravel.com/puertorico.html

Other websites:

Caribbean Folk Arts Network (Caribfolk) - Caribbean cultural network: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/caribfolk/

Raices Culturales Latinoamericanas (Latin American Cultural Roots) - a nonprofit organization I founded in 1991 that presents Latin American cultural shows, exhibits, and workshops: http://www.raicesculturales.org/

Raicesnews - Latin cultural events in the Philadelphia area: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/raicesnews

Monday, December 24, 2007

Colombia: Christmas in Bogotá, 1987

I've spent two Christmases in Colombia: one in 1980, and the other in 1987. In 1987 my wife and I were living in Bogotá, on winter break from our respective teaching jobs there, and because of the schedule the break lasted a month. During that time we often walked to one of Bogotá's principal shopping districts, called Chapinero. Outside one of the churches of the area, called Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, I took this picture of the church's large manger scene. People do have Christmas trees in their houses at Christmas, but in Colombia the manger scene (called pesebre in Spanish) receives the most lavish attention. The size of some of these reminds me of model train layouts, and often there are competitions to see who can create the most elaborate manger scene.

Christmas in Colombia and in other parts of Latin America has more of the feel of the Fourth of July or New Year's Eve than of quiet evenings beside a fireplace. The focus is more on December 24th than on the 25th, and the gifts are traditionally given at midnight after a long party on Christmas Eve, with plenty of music and dancing. The kids believe that el Niño Dios or the Christ Child brings them their gifts, though Papá Noel or Santa Claus is also well known.

In some houses a Nativity novena is recited starting on December 16, and the evening of the 24th is the last night of the novena, which celebrates the arrival of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and the birth of Christ. The novena is also accompanied by traditional Spanish Christmas carols or villancicos. Some of the foods typically served during Christmas are natilla, a dessert with a consistency like a thick pudding and usually flavored with cinnamon sticks; buñuelos or large round cheese fritters; and sabajón, a vanilla-flavored liqueur. Also popular are what Colombians call tamales, not to be confused with Mexican tamales. The Colombian tamales are made of corn meal with bits of chicken, pork and/or beef with carrots and yellow peas, wrapped up in a banana or plantain leaf. Also, in Colombia the singular of tamales is "tamal" not "tamale."

There are also plenty of fireworks the whole night, as well as pleas from the city for the public to exercise care to avoid injuries. I recall that when we drove someone home from our Christmas party, we would invariably see someone dart in front of our car to set off some fireworks in the street. Over the years more controls have been put in place to try to reduce the number of accidents with fireworks.

See my webpage on Colombia at http://www.latinandcaribbeantravel.com/colombia.html

Other websites:

Caribbean Folk Arts Network (Caribfolk) - Caribbean cultural network: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/caribfolk/

Raices Culturales Latinoamericanas (Latin American Cultural Roots) - a nonprofit organization I founded in 1991 that presents Latin American cultural shows, exhibits, and workshops: http://www.raicesculturales.org/

Raicesnews - Latin cultural events in the Philadelphia area: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/raicesnews

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Mexico: Pyramids at Teotihuacán, 1979

One of the biggest attractions of a visit to Mexico City is a trip to the pyramids that are located outside of the city at a place known as Teotihuacán. This location was not an Aztec site; the people in this area had abandoned the area centuries before the Spaniards arrived.

This was one of the trips that the school sponsored. As was explained to us, the pyramids, the ballcourts and other buildings in the area had religious significance, and those living in this area were of the priestly class. The two main structures are the Pyramid of the Sun and the Moon. Both are in the distance in the picture, the Pyramid of the Moon being farthest away. The Pyramid of the Sun is larger, though not as steep as the Pyramid of the Moon, and was a favorite spot for tourists and vendors.

I was familiar with the custom of negotiating a price for an item. I was shown a piece carved out of the black stone called obsidian, and as I was halfhearted about buying it, I was more successful in bringing the price down than if I had expressed a lot of interest.

After we were directed around most of the site and I saw that time was short, I practically sprinted to the Pyramid of the Moon to climb it as well before the bus was scheduled to leave.

Visit my webpage on Mexico at http://www.latinandcaribbeantravel.com/mexico.html


Other websites:

Caribbean Folk Arts Network (Caribfolk) - Caribbean cultural network: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/caribfolk/

Raices Culturales Latinoamericanas (Latin American Cultural Roots) - a nonprofit organization I founded in 1991 that presents Latin American cultural shows, exhibits, and workshops: http://www.raicesculturales.org/

Raicesnews - Latin cultural events in the Philadelphia area: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/raicesnews

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Caribbean: St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, 2004

In March 2004 I attended a conference on Caribbean music at the Hibiscus Beach Resort in St. Croix, sponsored by the Center for Black Music Research, which has its offices at Columbia College in Chicago. Due to the hotel's cost, I opted to stay at the Pink Fancy Hotel, a guesthouse in Christiansted (photo on the right). The neighborhood was not great, but the inn itself was a great place to stay and was convenient to the shops, restaurants and other attractions in Christiansted (all walking distance).

St. Croix is an anomaly among Caribbean islands. It straddles the boundary between a quiet island and an overdeveloped one. The shopping district was surprisingly quiet for being in high season, and at that time cruise ships were not stopping at St. Croix, some sources reporting that crime was the main issue and others reporting that the cruise ship passengers found the place boring. As a footnote, the cruise ships stopped in Frederiksted, on the western side of the island (Christiansted is on the northeast side). I recently read a report stating that Disney Cruise Lines will resume service to St. Croix.

My particular experience in St. Croix was fantastic and I definitely would go back. The people I met were extremely hospitable, and I had the opportunity to really take in the island's culture during my short stay.

Visit my webpage on the Caribbean at http://www.latinandcaribbeantravel.com/caribbean.html

Other websites:

Caribbean Folk Arts Network (Caribfolk) - Caribbean cultural network: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/caribfolk/

Raices Culturales Latinoamericanas (Latin American Cultural Roots) - a nonprofit organization I founded in 1991 that presents Latin American cultural shows, exhibits, and workshops: http://www.raicesculturales.org/

Raicesnews - Latin cultural events in the Philadelphia area: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/raicesnews

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Spain: Granada, Views from the Alhambra, 2006

The Alhambra in Granada sits on a hill that overlooks the rest of the city. From here you can see a section called Sacromonte where former gypsy caves exist. They appear in the photo on the hill in the background, and you can see them if you click on the photo to increase its size.

Most of the gypsies no longer live in the caves, but the caves can still be visited. Flamenco shows can be seen there in the evenings, though I have read that the shows are sometimes of questionable authenticity.


These views were a treat that we had while we waited to enter the Alhambra. The amount of visitors to the Alhambra is controlled and it is indispensable to purchase tickets ahead of time. In my case, as I was staying in Seville, I obtained them as part of the price of a tour that left from Seville to Granada. Because of the time and distance, the only things that are possible on a day trip from Seville are the visit to the Alhambra and lunch in the city of Granada. To visit other sites in Granada more than a day trip is needed.


See my webpage on Spain at http://www.latinandcaribbeantravel.com/spain.html